Friday, 18 December 2015

The first International Summer Institute on 'Students as Partners in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education' is to be organised by McMaster Institute for Innovation and Enhancement in Teaching and Learning (MIIETL), Canada in early May 2016.

This one day conference will bring together an audience of academic and professional services staff and students from across the disciplines to discussMasters-level Teaching and Learning issues for the 21st century.The themes for the conference are:Student Support and Transition, Effective Learning, Curriculum Design, and Assessment.See our programmeTo Register

Adam Benjamin, Lecturer in Theatre and Performance, School of Humanities & Performing Arts

The Pedagogic Practice of Improvisation - Will we find it when we get there?

We will be focusing on teaching, learning and pedagogy in higher education. From Curriculum Innovation to Internationalisation this one day conference will bring together an audience of academic and professional services staff and students from across the disciplines. This event aims to disseminate best practice and allow for knowledge exchange on important key themes, relevant to Teaching and Learning provision within the University sector.

This one day event aims to bring together expertise from across the higher education community to discuss contemporary evaluation practices used to examine the impact of our CPD activities. Evaluation is common feature of in HE, however, much evaluation relies upon an in situ snapshot which takes place post intervention and provides measurements of satisfaction, rather than of those changes to thinking and practice which develop over time. Greater consideration needs to be placed on measuring the breadth of impacts from CPD activities, looking beyond immediate satisfaction, to how CPD changes practice in the longer term and also shapes student learning. See attached for further information.

Kind regards

Teaching and Learning Support

Debby Cotton

Professor of Higher Education Pedagogy & Head of Educational Development

We are delighted to announce that Sébastien Huber (Science Europe), Natacha Wilson (University of Cambridge), Prof Simonetta Manfredi (Oxford Brookes University), Dr Fiona Denney (University of Brunel) and Dr Robin Mellors-Bourne (CRAC) are the confirmed speakers at the upcoming Vitae event: 'Developing the next generation of research leaders', which will take place in London (UK) on the 26 January.

As they progress in their career, researchers will be expected to take on increasing leadership responsibilities through supervision and line management, engaging the public with their research, working in an open research environment, and influencing policy.
Researchers are also the innovation powerhouse of universities and are taking that innovation into business through knowledge transfer partnerships, spin-outs, catapults, consulting, and entrepreneurship. Therefore, enabling researchers to realise their leadership potential through continuing professional development is key to sustaining and growing the quality, output and impact of research, creating benefit for institutions, research, economy and society.

This event is open to all stakeholders in the professional development of researchers as aspiring leaders, including researcher developers, staff developers, careers advisors, research managers, representatives of funding councils and charities, supervisors and principal investigators, senior academics and managers.

Outcomes of attending this event:

Senior managers, principal investigators, research leaders, funders:
• be aware of strategic implications for efficient and effective leadership development of the next generation of researchers
• ensure your researchers receive the professional development they need to reach their potential as future research, academic, and cross-sector leaders
• enhance the quality of leadership in your institution
• network with colleagues

Researcher/staff developers, career professionals, research managers:
• enhance your understanding of leadership development and talent management
• design relevant and well-informed training and development opportunities to help your researchers achieve their leadership goals
• assess the leadership climate of your institution
• invest in your own professional development
• network with colleagues

Join us on the 26 January to discuss how to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the development of the next generation of early career researchers and academics.

Book your place at: http://bit.ly/20x4Vrp Vitae membership discount is available for this event
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We are thrilled to confirm that Nature Masterclasses has become the official sponsor of the event. Nature Masterclasses provides online and face-to-face training in scientific writing and publishing. The training is aimed at researchers of all levels within the natural sciences, and delivered by editors at the Nature journals. To find out more about the online and face-to-face training, visit http://bit.ly/1QsZB3z

Playful Learning is pitched at the intersection of learning and play for adults. Playful in approach and outlook, yet underpinned by robust research and working practices, we’ll be providing a space where teachers, researchers and students can play, learn and think together. A space to meet other playful people and be inspired by talks, workshops, activities and events. Based in the heart of Manchester, we’ll also be exploring some of the city’s playful spaces with evening activities to continue the fun and conversations after the formal programme ends.

Playful learning will run over three days, from lunchtime on Wed 13 July 2016 to lunchtime on Friday 15 July 2016."

This one day conference will bring together an audience of academic and professional services staff and students from across the disciplines to discuss Masters-level Teaching and Learning issues for the 21st century.

The conference welcomes delegates, and contributions, from anyone interested in enhancing the quality of provision for taught masters students.

The themes for the conference are:

<![if !supportLists]>·<![endif]>Student Support and Transition

<![if !supportLists]>·<![endif]>Effective Learning

<![if !supportLists]>·<![endif]>Curriculum Design

<![if !supportLists]>·<![endif]>Assessment.

This conference will launch: Masters Level Teaching, Learning and Assessment - Issues in Design and Delivery edited by Professor Pauline Kneale with over 50 contributors, published on Friday 25 September 2015 by Palgrave Macmillan.

Researching the Micro and Local in Widening Participation Practice: Seminar 2

Date - Wednesday, 24 February 2016:10.30 - 16.30

Venue - The Studio, Sheffield Students Union, Sheffield

Network - Access and Widening Participation

The aim of this series is to ground and contextualise discussions of widening participation, which can often be spoken of in largely abstract terms, in considerations of the local and micro practices of WP by focusing on two large and complex cities (Sheffield and London) and on Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland which face different challenges in relation to WP and to the idea of the 'local'. The seminars will use WP and access-related research to draw attention to how WP practices at a local level shape and influence choice-making, access, progression and success and how, in turn, these inform issues of in/justice and in/equality.

The series will bring researchers and other academics together with practitioners from HE, FE, schools and local authorities departments to explore, amongst other areas: • how 'local' is conceptualised and researched and how this shapes thinking and practice • how connections are made across cities and regions and the strategies adopted to try and connect the local with the national • the micro practices of WP and how these shape and are shaped by macro (national) and the meso (institutional) policies and practice • what lessons can be learned for researching WP across cities or regions

This is a joint seminar series between the Society for Research into Higher Education, delivered as part of the Access and Widening Participation Network (conveners: Penny-Jane Burke and Jacqueline Stevenson) and the Universities Association for Lifelong Learning Widening Participation and Access Network (convener Annette Hayton). Support is also being given by Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield.

Seminar 2: February 24th: From the national to the local: the view from a city The Studio, Sheffield Students Union, Sheffield University This session will explore crucial elements of widening participation interventions by exploring the relationships between the school sector and higher education institutions. Two papers and one case study will be used to present different facets of this relationship at the national and local levels. The first part of the day examines the use of contextual data at the national level, and the practices and strategies of widening participation at the local level, contrasting London with other UK cities. The second part of the day brings together a local sixth form college manager and an HE outreach professional for a discussion of the challenges of collaborating across this sector divide.10.00 Registration and refreshments

10.30 Introductions and overview of the series and the session Rita Hordosy, University of Sheffield

10.45 Does the use of contextual data help or hinder widening participation? Professor Stephen Gorard, Durham University

1.45 Managing Outreach Relationships between HE and Schools: A Sheffield Case Study Alison McKenzie, University of Sheffield and schools partners

2.45 Break

3.00 Critical conversations: in this session delegates will explore key questions posed by the contributors, and share their own research and practice perspectives before posing questions back to the panel

4.00 Plenary and panel discussion

4.30 Close

Note: Unless otherwise stated SRHE events are free to members, there is a charge of £60 for non-members.

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Tuesday, 1 December 2015

Registration is now open for the next Media Enhanced Special Interest Group (MELSIG) event which this time focuses on Digital Narratives. The event is hosted by Nottingham Trent University on the 8th January 2016 and as usual is free to attend.

Please do not leave it too late to register as places are limited.

The theme allows us to explore how digital narratives are being used to create flexible and diverse learning experiences. We will hear from academics and developers who are using digital storytelling, social media such as Storify and similar digital-social techniques that enrich the learning experience.

Participants will gain pedagogic and technological knowledge of how they might adapt similar approaches to fit with their own practices. The event will be a mix of presentations, hands-on workshops and opportunities for discussions with colleagues.

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Wednesday, 25 November 2015

Open University Widening Participation Conference 27th – 28th April 2016

HE: Transforming lives through life-wide learning

The deadline for the receipt of papers for this conference has been extended by popular demand. The new deadline is close of play Friday 18th December. We are looking for academic research papers, innovative practice papers and posters around the following themes:

·Alternative routes into HE

·Moving from access to widenened success

·Flexibility and technology

·Employability

·The crisis facing mature part time students

We now have confirmed keynote speakers:

John Widdowson, President of the Association of Colleges

Professor Jacqueline Stevenson, Sheffield Institute of Education

Tim Blackman, Vice-Chancellor, Middlesex University

David Hughes, Chief Executive, NIACE

John Storan, Director of Continuum, University of East London

Professor Randall Whittaker, Director of Studies, Leeds College of Art

Visit the conference website here for paper specifications and to book your place.

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Friday, 20 November 2015

The 7th Open Educational Resources Conference, OER16: Open Culture, will be held on the 19th-20th April 2016 at the University of Edinburgh.

The vision for the conference is to focus on the value proposition of embedding open culture in the context of institutional strategies for learning, teaching and research. The conference will be chaired by Melissa Highton, Director of Learning, Teaching and Web Services at the University of Edinburgh, and Lorna Campbell, OER Liaison at the University of Edinburgh and EDINA Digital Education Manager.

You can support the event and our community as a sponsor including space to exhibit on both days. The exhibition area is located at the heart of the conference venue next to the main catering points. As a sponsor who exhibits you will receive:

*prominent identification as a sponsor or partner in the run up and throughout the conference, your details incl logo on conference materials + on the *conference platform *option to include a printed flyer in the conference packs *exhibition space for both days *registration for one delegate incl Gala Dinner *free wireless internet access

Sponsorship with exhibition package: £1500 (VAT is not charged) and other options are available

*Sponsorship only*

As a sponsor you will receive:

*your details and logo on conference materials + on the conference platform *option to include a printed flyer in the conference packs *registration for one delegate incl. Gala Dinner *free wireless internet access

Sponsorship only package: £590 (VAT is not charged)

*Others ways to support OER16*

Contact anna.davidge@alt.ac.uk if you are interested in discussing other ways to support the event or its participants, for example by:

*funding places for learners to participate *sponsoring the Gala Dinner *media support

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A one-day event to share frameworks, projects and experience through which interdisciplinary learning and teaching can be approached. The conference focus is on the emerging practices of interdisciplinary learning and teaching and how theoretical pedagogical frameworks might enhance and further develop interdisciplinary learning and teaching practice for foundation level students, undergraduates and taught-postgraduates. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

·Possible theoretical and pedagogical frameworks for interdisciplinary learning at Foundation and HE level

·Value in using interdisciplinary learning to explore issues related to knowledge production

·The impact of interdisciplinary study on learning experiences

·Sharing of practice and experience in providing and promoting interdisciplinary learning opportunities

·Interdisciplinary learning within the curriculum and in extra-curricular, non credit-bearing activities

Proposals for presentations of 20 minutes, workshops of 40 minutes, and posters are invited.

Please submit proposals by 29 January 2016. Notifications of successful contributions will be made in mid-February 2016.

Wednesday, 18 November 2015

You are all warmly invited to attend our next open public lecture on 25th Nov at 17.00 featuring Ellie Russell, from the National Union of Students (NUS). Ellie will present on student engagement and teaching excellence.

The title of her talk is: Student engagement: the never ending story

Abstract:

Engaging students as partners is a very popular concept but very challenging to make a reality. As such it is easy for partnership to become a buzzword – something everyone agrees with without really knowing what it looks like in practice. This interactive lecture will explore different dimensions of student engagement and partnership in the context of a changing higher education landscape.

Bio

Ellie Russell is the Student Engagement & Partnership Manager for The Student Engagement Partnership, which supports, develops and promotes student engagement knowledge and practice in the higher education sector in England. TSEP is housed by NUS and funded by HEFCE, Guild HE and AoC. Ellie joined NUS in 2011 after graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in Politics and Parliamentary Studies. During her studies Ellie completed placements in MP’s offices in Westminster and the Canadian Parliament and was a trustee of Leeds University Union from 2007- 2011. Prior to starting university, she held the elected position of Vice President (Further Education) of NUS from 2005- 2007.

The day promises to provide insights into how a range of narrative approaches are being used to support learning, teaching and assessment approaches across a range of learning environments. Participants will gain technological and pedagogic knowledge of how they might adapt similar approaches to fit with their own practices. The event will be a mix of presentations, hands-on workshops and opportunities for discussions with colleagues.

We hope to see you there.

Best,

Charlie Davis
Senior Digital Practice Advisor
Centre for Professional Learning and Development Nottingham Trent University

Full conference schedule will be released in early January 2016

In the changing landscape of the HE and FE sector, many new roles are appearing to support and advise our students. The guiding roles of academic faculty and central services are also being re-defined and explored. UKAT's first autumn conference aims to explore the current trends and methods of student advice, support and guidance, consider the broader context of student success, attainment and retention, and promote the sharing of experiences and innovative practice.

United Kingdom Advising and Tutoring is a professional body of practitioners and researchers interested in all aspects of advising and personal tutoring in FE and HE in the UK. UKAT recognises that effective personal tutoring and academic advising is at the core of student success, and aspires to lead the development and dissemination of innovative theory, research, and practice of student advising and tutoring in the UK and beyond.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the change of dates, and hope you are able to join us for our launch event in March 2016.

Best Wishes,

Emily Foster UKAT Communications Co-Coordinator

There is still time to submit a proposal for a Workshop, Presentation or Poster.